Centennial celebration of Franklin County Fair adds rodeo to lineup

The Franklin County Fair will celebrate its 100th year at the Franklin County Fairgrounds when the gates open Saturday, July 15.

"This centennial celebration will honor the county's rich agricultural heritage and its eclectic and diverse present," said Stephanie Rauschenbach, owner of Simply Put PR, a company working with the Franklin County Agricultural Society and Destination Hilliard to promote the fair.

The eight-day fair runs through Saturday, July 22, at the Franklin County Fairgrounds, 4100 Columbia Road.

The fair opens at 9 a.m. each day and closes at 11 p.m. July 15, July 21 and July 22 and at 10 p.m. July 16 to 20. Daily admission is $7. Children 2 and under are admitted free.

Additional tickets are required for rides and games and for select events at the grandstand, which will include the traditional demolition derby on the final day and a new event called the Buckeye Rodeo at 7:30 p.m. July 18.

"This new event includes calf-roping and bareback bull-riding," Rauschenbach said.

The fairgrounds may be accessed via Northwest Parkway just east of Avery Road. Parking is free.

The fair is steeped in tradition, including such 4-H activities as the naming of the fair king and queen and the junior fair livestock sale on the final day.

Among the changes fair-goers will notice is the absence of the secretary's office behind the grandstand.

The office was demolished earlier this year, said David Fleshman, president of the Franklin County Agricultural Society.

The exact year when it was built is not known. The best guess, based on incomplete records, is the 1940s, and it was decided a replacement was needed, he said.